Brazil votes today in the first round of its 2026 general election. Here is what is at stake, how the vote works, and what happens next.

How it works: 158.7 million people are eligible to vote from 08:00 to 17:00 Brasilia time. Voting is compulsory for most citizens aged 18 to 70. To win in the first round, a candidate needs more than 50% of valid votes, excluding blank and null ballots. If nobody clears that bar, the top two face a runoff on October 25.

The race: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva leads Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, but polls have tightened. A CNT/MDA poll put Lula at 43.1% and Bolsonaro at 38% in the first round. Twelve candidates are on the ballot.

What is at stake: voters also elect governors in 26 states and members of Congress. The next president will inherit unusual influence over appointments to the Supreme Court, the central bank and economic regulators, with vacancies piled up.

Why it matters: a likely October 25 runoff will decide the direction of Latin America’s largest economy.